Facel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Facel SA

logo
legal form Société Anonyme
founding 1939
resolution 1964
Seat Paris , FranceFranceFrance 
management Jean Daninos
Branch Automobile manufacturer

Facel ( pronounced Fassäl ) of F orges et A teliers de C onstructions d ' E acid-et- L oir was a French company , which designed and manufactured metal objects. Facel SA , founded in 1939 by Jean C. Daninos , was located at 19, Avenue George V, Paris .

Within the company, the “Facel-Vega” department (named after the star Wega ) was founded in the early 1950s , which successfully manufactured extremely complex and high-priced sports cars between 1954 and 1964. In 1959, with the Facellia, an upper middle class model was presented for the first time. Instead of the Chrysler V8, it had a four-cylinder engine designed by Facel itself, which caused problems. The adventure in the mass market overwhelmed the company and led to the end of vehicle production.

Company history

After Jean Daninos had left Citroën , where he had, among other things, played a key role in the development of the Traction Avant, he worked as a designer in an aircraft factory. In 1938 he founded the company Facel ( Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure et Loir ) and produced stamped metal parts just outside Paris, including furniture and kitchens made of metal according to his own designs, as well as aircraft parts for the American armed forces.

Facel Métallon, the vehicle body division

Bentley Mark VI Facel Métallon Coupe (1951)
Simca 9 Sport Coupe , design Pininfarina , adaptations and execution Facel Métallon (1952)
Ford Comète Monte Carlo by Facel Métallon (1954)

After the Second World War, the opportunity arose to supply car bodies to well-known French automobile manufacturers under the name Facel Métallon , as their production facilities were partially destroyed and the capacities for smaller series were not yet sufficient. Ford (France) and the resulting Simca brand had some coupé bodies delivered. Special bodies for Panhard and Delahaye followed later .

Facel Vega

Jean Daninos had already worked as a designer at Citroën before the war and in 1951 put his own elegantly drawn car on the chassis of a Bentley on the wheels, which he used for private purposes. However, the birth of automotive engineering at Facel is June 25, 1953, when the construction of a frame for its own sports car with a screwed-on body began. After Facel had already bodyworked the Ford Comète , Danino's brother, the writer Pierre Daninos , suggested reaching for the stars again and came up with the name Vega for the new model . In 1954 the Facel Vega came on the market with a Chrysler DeSoto V8 engine.

The handcrafted coupés and convertibles were characterized by outstanding driving performance and an elegant, sophisticated design that also picked up on American style elements. The instruments looked more like an airplane cockpit than an automobile; the almost oversized drum brakes gave an aura of safety that was not a matter of course at the time. From 1960, disc brakes from Dunlop were also used. The British automobile press soon described the Facel Vega as the second best car in the world - after Rolls-Royce, of course. Crowned heads, actors, politicians and wealthy business people ordered a new car at 19, Avenue Georges V in Paris, some even several models over the years. Over time, the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , the Moroccan King Hassan II , Ava Gardner , Stirling Moss and Ringo Starr were among Facel's customers. Auto Becker in Düsseldorf developed into the main importer and from 1958 sold a total of 67 copies in Germany. Facel seemed to be becoming an established luxury car manufacturer.

Business was going very well and Jean Daninos therefore planned to round off the model range downwards with a cheaper entry-level model. In 1959 the Facel Facellia was presented. It was powered by a self-designed four-cylinder in-line engine, but it was not fully developed. The result was high warranty costs and a ruined reputation because the problems could not be resolved. Even the Facel Vega III, built from 1963 with a reliable Volvo engine, could no longer avert the disaster. After 1174 V8-cylinder vehicles, including 11 convertibles, 1258 Facellia four-cylinder vehicles, and a total of 432 Facel III and Facel 6 models, production had to be stopped at the end of 1964.

The model series

Timeline

Timeline of the Facel models from 1954 to 1964
Type Doors cylinder 1950s 1960s
4th 5 6th 7th 8th 9 0 1 2 3 4th
Coupe 2 R 4 Facellia Facel III Facel 6
V 8 FV / FVS HK 500 Facel II
4th Excellence EX / EX1 Excellence EX2


Facel Vega FV (1955 to 1958)

Facel Vega FV from 1955
Facel Vega HK500
Facel Vega HK500

The Ur-Facel FV came onto the market in 1955 as a coupé with the well-known Hemi V8 engine from Chrysler , initially with a 4.5 liter displacement, 180 hp and a fully synchronized 4-speed gearbox from Pont-à-Mousson with a single-plate clutch from Borg & Beck, from 1956 with 4.8 liters (FV1), the following year with 5.4 liters (FV2) and in 1958 finally with 5.8 liters displacement and up to 325 SAE-PS (FVS). For European standards, the engine capacity and the stated performance were exceptional: the top speed was stated as 190 to 205 km / h, the gasoline consumption was between 16 and 19 l / 100 km, which in connection with the 100-liter gasoline tank is one for a car guaranteed contemporary range for the luxury class. The 4570 millimeter long and 1760 millimeter wide coupé was designed as a two-seater with two emergency seats. From the FV1 onwards, in addition to the 4-speed transmission, the PowerFlite automatic transmission from Chrysler was also available. The body designed by Facel was screwed onto the welded tubular frame, which was also designed by the company itself. Like all the following models, the vehicles had a steering system with auger and roller supplied by Gemmer France , the turning circle was 10.4 meters and an independent front suspension with double wishbones, coil springs and a stabilizer ; at the rear there was a rigid axle with leaf springs bought from Salisbury . Hydraulic shock absorbers were used all around . FV and FV1 had hydraulically operated aluminum drum brakes with a diameter of 280 mm all around, from the FV2B a servo support was added. The handbrake acted on the rear axle via a cable.

With this model Facel established its reputation as a premium sports car manufacturer.

Facel Vega HK 500 (1958 to 1961)

Facel Vega Excellence from 1959

Today, many enthusiasts consider the HK 500 to be the facel. With 489 units produced, it was Facel's most successful V8 model. Externally strongly based on its predecessor and not significantly changed technically, it initially received a V8 engine with 5.8 liters displacement (which helped it to 335 to 360 hp) and from spring 1959 a Chrysler type 383 ( cubic inch ) engine 6.3 liters displacement and up to 390 SAE-PS (type HK1). In the technical documents as well as in the vehicle registration documents, the engine is usually given consistently with 5.9 liters displacement, which probably had to do with the French displacement tax of the time. Servo brakes were now standard equipment and the HK1 also received disc brakes all around with a diameter of 308 mm at the front and 295 mm at the rear. The maximum speed was given with about 210 to 230 km / h. This model was also a coupé with either a 4-speed manual transmission or a 3-speed Chrysler automatic. Power steering was available for an extra charge and the electrical system was switched from 6 to 12 V.

The performance of the HK500 at that time was extremely impressive as the table below shows:

acceleration Facel Vega HK 500 Ferrari 250 GT Mercedes 300 SL Aston Martin DB4
Acceleration 0-100 km / h 8.6 s 9.0 s 8.9 s 10.0 s
Acceleration 0–130 km / h 13.0 s 13.0 s 13.1 s 14.0 s
Acceleration 0–160 km / h 19.4 s 19.0 s 19.7 s 20.0 s
Flying kilometer 237.0 km / h 230.0 km / h 228.0 km / h 225.0 km / h

This was bought with a very high consumption:

consumption Facel Vega HK 500 Ferrari 250 GT Mercedes 300 SL Aston Martin DB4
Consumption per 100 km 16.5 liters 15.0 liters 15.7 liters 15.5 liters

Facel Vega Excellence (1958 to 1964)

Facel Facellia F-2 (1962)
The Facellia ruined the brand's reputation due to many shortcomings
Facel III

Parallel to the HK 500, Facel advanced into the top class of automobiles from 1958 with the Excellence (Type EX). The 5230 millimeter long vehicle had a wheelbase of 3170 millimeters (HK 500: 2660 millimeters) and was designed as a four-seater hardtop sedan ; Despite its enormous length, the luxuriously equipped car had no B-pillar , which posed great problems for the designers. The rear entrances were relatively short and designed as so-called suicide doors , the locking mechanisms were located in the undersides of the door and in the sills. A concession to the US market were panoramic windows and small tail fins .

The first Excellence still had the 4.8-liter V8 with 250 hp and was already 190 km / h in this form, the next a 4.9-liter with 260 hp and had the new TorqueFlite automatic or a manual transmission available. Standard equipment included leather seats, all-round tinted windows and power windows. Upon request, a telephone was even installed in cooperation with the French PTT . From May 1958 the EX came with the 6.4 liter version of the Hemi engine and 360 hp, followed in September 1958 by the EX1 with 5.9 liters and (depending on the source) 335 hp or 360 hp. Both had drum brakes all around with a 286 mm diameter at the front and 280 mm at the rear and the tank held 140 liters. A major overhaul followed. The EX2, presented in July 1961, differed externally from its predecessor in that it did not have panoramic windows and fins. Now the 383-V8 with 6.3 liters displacement and (depending on the source) 355 or 365 hp was installed again, the top speed was 200 or 210 km / h. The EX2 also received the same disc brakes as the HK1 and anticipated details of the Facel II.

Luxury had its price and so this model was just below comparable Rolls-Royce models, but without reaching their quality. After 152 units, the Excellence was discontinued in 1964.

Facellia, Facel III and Facel 6 (1959 to 1964)

The Facellia and its successors achieved the highest number of units (1258 copies), but the original model in particular is generally regarded as the brand's gravedigger. They were small coupés and convertibles, well below Facel II. Jean Daninos wanted to round off the model range with an offer in the attractive market for light sports cars, which was dominated by brands such as MG , Triumph and Alfa Romeo . The higher numbers should improve the company's poor profitability. His plan was to build a purely French sports car because he believed it would attract more buyers. Three series were produced, which essentially differed in the choice of engine.

Facellia (1959 to 1963)

The first model was called Facellia (type FA). In accordance with the company's owner’s goals, it used a self-developed motor. It was developed in cooperation with Pont à Mousson and also produced there. It was a four-cylinder in-line engine with 1647 cm³ displacement, two overhead camshafts (DOHC), forged crankshaft and simple Solex carburetor. The engine, compressed to 9.4: 1, developed 115 hp at 6400 rpm. The Facellia was 180 km / h and accelerated from 0 to 100 km / h in 13.2 seconds. Constructively, the Facellia was based on the larger models with a smaller version of the chassis up to the double wishbones on the independent front wheel suspension and a lighter Salisbury rigid axle on leaf springs at the rear. There was also the Gemmer steering, Dunlop disc brakes (diameter 279.4 mm) all around and a 65-liter tank. Again the gearbox came from Pont-à-Mousson , the single-disc dry clutch was supplied by Ferodo . An automatic transmission or power steering were not available and wire-spoke wheels cost extra. Leather upholstery was standard for this.

The development of the Facellia began in 1957 under chief engineer Charles Brasseur . A market analysis assumed 2500 vehicles were sold only in France. The presentation for the press took place in autumn 1959 with the participation of the racing driver Stirling Moss , the official debut at the Paris Motor Show in the same year, and sales from March 1960. Although the shape of the Facellia was based on the large models and sales were initially good it looked - around 1000 Facellia had been sold by the end of 1960 - engine damage soon became apparent due to excessive oil consumption and burned-out pistons. The guarantees soon exceeded the small manufacturer's human and financial resources. The Facellia initially came onto the market as a two- to three-seater convertible and from 1960 also as a 2 + 2-seater coupé. In February 1961 the successor version F2 appeared in the familiar versions, supplemented from spring 1961 by a four-seater coupé. The technical changes were largely limited to the engine, which had developed into a disaster for the company. The engine block received new water channels and other improvements such as aluminum pistons from Floquette.Monopole . The compression was reduced from 115 hp to 9.2: 1 while maintaining the power. Servo brakes now became standard in the small models too. The tank filler neck was new behind the rear license plate. The F2S version with 126 hp and 195 km / h was also new . The higher output was due to a compression ratio of 9.6: 1 and Weber twin carburetors , the vehicle accelerated to 100 km / h in 12.1 seconds. With a few technical changes, but a renewed front with plexi covers over the twin headlights, the F2B model was delivered from September 1961 .

Thus, the convertible and both coupé variants were at least temporarily available in the versions FA, F2 and F2B; the F2S, however, was not built as a convertible.

Facel III (1963 to 1964)

The Facel III (type FB) was to be the successor to polish up the tarnished image that had caused the Facellia from April 1963. For this, Daninos had to get rid of his idea of ​​producing a purely French car and therefore this model had a reliable four-cylinder in-line engine from Volvo with 1780 cc. The B-18 engine from the Volvo Amazon with 108 hp at 6000 rpm was nominally slightly weaker than its predecessor, but accelerated the vehicle to 100 km / h in 12.9 seconds and was good for 180 km / h. The slightly modernized design of the Facel III should also attract more price-conscious buyers in the three well-known versions of the Coupé. However, sales were sluggish; With great competition and Facel's bad reputation, there were only 400 buyers.

An additional problem with the Facellia and its successors was the rather high price compared to the competition.

Facel 6 (1964)

In the hope of finding a gap in the market with a model between the powerful Facel II and the small Facel III, the Facel VI (type F6) went on sale at the last moment in August 1964. The body was lengthened by 50 millimeters compared to the Facel III with the same wheelbase. The drive was provided by a version of the 3-liter engine from Austin-Healey that had been reduced to 2852 cc (for tax reasons for the French market) and now had 150 hp at 5250 rpm and a top speed of almost 200 km / h. But after a few months and only 43 vehicles produced (7 convertibles and 36 coupés), production had to be stopped for good.

Facel II (1963)

Facel II (1961 to 1964)

The Facel II launched in December 1961 (also called HK2 internally) was the V8 successor to the HK 500. The shape has been significantly modernized and adapted to the prevailing taste of the time. The model, which had grown by 160 millimeters to 4750 millimeters, had a 6.3-liter engine. In the version with automatic transmission, the engine had a quadruple carburetor and made 355 SAE-PS, which allowed a top speed of 225 km / h. In the version with manual transmission, the engine had two Carter quadruple carburetors and made 390 SAE-PS; With this, Paul Frère achieved a top speed of 247 km / h in a test. For the first time, Facel put emphasis on an ergonomic design of the dashboard; An air conditioning system was available for export vehicles, power steering (in conjunction with an automatic transmission), servo-assisted disc brakes with a diameter of 308 mm at the front and 295 mm at the rear, as well as power windows were now standard. The new, also servo-assisted steering with worm and roller has already been used in the Excellence.

The effort was ultimately in vain: The Facellia had ruined the brand's reputation. At the same time, models such as the Ferrari 250 GT, Iso Rivolta , Jensen C-V8 , Aston Martin DB 4, Maserati , Bristol 408 and other manufacturers with comparable vehicles came onto the market and Facel naturally suffered particularly from the French luxury tax, which already traditional brands like Bugatti or Delahaye had given the fatal blow. Even an increase in displacement to 6.7 liters with up to 400 hp did not help the model to be successful. In total, a prototype of the Type Facel II and a further 183 vehicles were created, which were considered the fastest four-seater coupés in the world.

Racing

Facellia and its successors were sporty vehicles, but by no means designed for racing. Nevertheless, Maurice Gatsonides / Van Noordwijk were class winners at the Rallye Monte Carlo in 1961; Hugues Hazard / Loberteau achieved one with the F2 at the Rallye de Lorraine in the same year in front of more powerful AC-Bristol and Austin-Healey . In September 1961 there was another class win at the Tour de France Automobile for the women's team Annie Soisbault / Michèle Cancre on Facellia. At the Rallye Monte Carlo 1962 Poirot / Hazard finished second.

The most ambitious project was a mid-engined racing sports car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans . Planning began in 1962 while the company battled its engines' bad reputation. A vehicle with a similar profile to the Ford GT40 was planned , powered by a 6.4 liter Chrysler Hemi V8. Five of these racing engines, each with two four-way carburetors Ball & Ball and an output of 342 kW each at 6200 rpm, were available. The vehicle should have Dunlop disc brakes. Spoked wheels specially made by Dunlop for Facel were ordered and delivered. Participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1964 was planned . It didn't come to that. The racing car, which is 330 km / h on paper, could only be 80% completed before the company had to close; then it was dismantled.

Facel Vega today

Most of the few remaining models of sports cars from Facel are in the hands of collectors. There is hardly a market for it. The mass-produced Facellia and, more rarely, the HK 500 are best available today.

Trivia

The famous writer and philosopher Albert Camus was killed in a car accident on the afternoon of January 4, 1960 near La Chapelle Champigny as a passenger on the drive from Lourmarin to Paris . The Facel Vega FVS, driven by Michel Gallimard, a nephew of Camus' publisher, skidded and hit a tree with its right side. Gallimard died in hospital. The vehicle was badly damaged. The passengers in the rear - Mrs Gallimard with daughter Anne - survived the accident.

The author Gavin Lyall dedicates a few descriptions to the Facel Vega II in his 1965 novel “The Most Dangerous Game” (Eng. Title: The most dangerous opposite, 1965 Blanvalet) (“... I like the car: American engine, French body. So must Build a car. Maybe women too ... "). The Facel Vega also plays a central role as the protagonist's dream car in the novel The Gas Station at the End of the Village by Lars Mytting , published in 2019 .

In the French television series " Agatha Christie: Murderous Games ", Inspector Swan Laurence drives a burgundy facellia.

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to Daninos there was no convertible (p. 122)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 119.
  2. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 123.
  3. ↑ a b c Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 124.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 122.
  5. ↑ a b Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 130.
  6. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 125.
  7. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 51.
  8. ↑ a b Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 55.
  9. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 120.
  10. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 121.
  11. ↑ a b c d e Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 126.
  12. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 80.
  13. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. Pp. 126-127.
  14. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 79.
  15. ↑ a b Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 75.
  16. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 116.
  17. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 76.
  18. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. Pp. 78-79.
  19. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 86.
  20. ↑ a b c Daninos: Facel-Véga. Pp. 86-87.
  21. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 87.
  22. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 127.
  23. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. P. 128.
  24. ^ Daninos: Facel-Véga. Pp. 73-74.

literature

  • Jean-Paul Chambrette: Facel Vega - Grand Tourisme. Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2015. ISBN 978-3-95843-355-7 (German)
  • Jean Daninos: Facel-Véga. Collection 'Grand Tourisme' No.2, EPA, Paris 1982, ISBN 2-85120-143-3 (French).
  • Roger Gloor: Post War Car. Hallwag, Bern and Stuttgart, 2nd edition 1981, ISBN 3-444-10263-1 .
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars. 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd edition 1973, ISBN 0-525-08351-0 (English).

Web links

Commons : Facel  - collection of images, videos and audio files